Improvements in Chairs more especially Designed for Use in Theatres, Public Halls, and other Places where Large Audiences or Congregations of People Assemble.
Year: 1884

page_text: Improvements in Chairs more especially Designed for Use in
Theatres, Public Halls, and other Places where Large
Audiences or Congregations of People Assemble..
I, CHARLES AUBREY DAY of 321 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAIRS MORE ESPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR USE
IN THEATRES, Public Halls, andD OTHER PLACES WHERE LARGE AUDIENCES OR
CONGREGATIONS OF PEOPLE ASSEMBLE," and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement.
This Invention relates to chairs more especially designed for use in theatres,
public halls, and other places where large audiences or congregations of people
assemble. My Invention consists of certain structural peculiarities, set forth in
the claims at the close of this Specification, which not only greatly enhance the.
comfort and convenience of such chairs, but render their use in theatres and public
halls an advantage rather than an obstruction to commodius and safe ingress and
egress.
In order that my Invention may be clearly understood I have illustrated in the
annexed Drawings, and will proceed to describe the best form thereof at present
known to me.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of my improved chairs, showing one with
the seat unfolded, and the other turned at an angle of 90° to the first, with its seat
folded.
Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of said pair of chairs, the one with the folded seat.
having been turned so as to face the same way as the other.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the chair.
Figs. 4 to 9 illustrate various details, some of which are drawn on a larger scale
than the residue,
The same letters of reference indicate identical parts in all the Figures.
My newly invented chair is a swinging one, constructed with a folding seat, and
one of its characteristic features is the arrangement of the supporting stand at a
[Duin Ch

page_text: point which forms or is adjacent to one of the rear corners of the unfolded chair,
said stand being of post-like or columnar- configuration, in order that it may
occupy the least practicable space and offer no obstruction to the formation of
broad aisles, when the chair is folded up, either parallel with the stage or at right
or oblique angles thereto. I prefer to embody my Invention in the form of a
duplex chair, one stand serving to support two otherwise independent chairs, and
this form I have illustrated and will proceed to described in detail, premising,
however that I do not confine myself to this particular form of my Invention, but
that I propose to construct single chairs, each supported on a separate, standard,
whenever circumstances require such a construction, and that some of my claims
at the close of this Specification are intended to apply to and cover both forms.
For the sake of lightness and strength I make the stand in the form of a hollow
semi-column A, formed taperingly and with a suitable flange at the base for
obtaining a broad bearing on the floor, to which it is to be screwed or bolted.
The concave side of this hollow columnar stand faces in the direction of the front
of the chairs when they are in seating position. The head A¹ of the columnar
stand is constructed with four rearwardly projecting parallel perforated lugs a
which form the stationary leaves of the main hinge on which the chair swings.
The two chairs having said columnar stand for a common support are of like
construction, with the exception of only a few such differences as necessarily result
from hinging one at its right hand rear corner to the stand and the other at its
left hand rear corner. I have marked corresponding parts of the two members
of this duplex chair with similar letters of reference, so that the description of one
member will apply to both.
The seat B, composed of the usual frame and bottom, is hinged to the horizontal
bar of the main chair bracket C by a couple of bars b b¹ projecting from the rear
edge of the seat, the said bars being so formed and pivoted to the chair bracket
that the seat may fold close up against the back D. The chair bracket C is
provided with perforated lugs d which enter between perforated lugs a of the
columnar stand A, and are pivoted thereto by the vertical pintle a¹. The chair
bracket is constructed with uprights cc, to the upper ends of which the back D is
pivoted. The arms E E are also pivoted at one end to the uprights c, and the
other end of each arm is connected by a link E¹ to the scat, all in such a manner
that the arms and links readily fold or unfold in folding or unfolding the seat.
When the seat is folded up, the arms will stand about vertically and about in line
with the back, as shown in Fig. 2 so as to offer no obstruction to persons passing
by the chair. The arms. may be suitably marked on the outside to designate the
row and the number of the chair, so that an occupant may have these designations
right under his eye. The seat is provided with a leg F, which I prefer to make in
the form of a rectangular frame, and to so bend it that for the greater part of its
length it may conform approximately to the curvature of the seat. The leg is
pivoted to the seat frame at the front end, and connected by a link F¹ to a fixed
lug c on the chair bracket C, in such a manner that it will fold or unfold as the
seat is folded or unfolded. This frame-like leg is fitted between the side bars of
the seat frame, so that it may fold close against the upholstered or cane bottom
thereof and offer no practical obstruction to a person passing by the seat. I prefer
to provide the chair with a frame-like leg not only because it is light and strong
but also because the clothing of a passing person cannot be caught on it. A hat-
holder G is fixed to the under side of the seat. It is a light casting of horse shoe
shape, having slotted legs. It is secured to the rear bar of the seat frame, and its
legs project under the bottom conforming approximately to the curvature thereof.
In order that the seat may fold automatically I apply a spiral spring H. to the
chair bracket, fixing one end of the spring to a ratchet wheel H' mounted on the
chair bracket and applying the other end h to the rear of the seat, said end h
engaging in this instance a hole in the hat-holder G. The spring acts torsionally,
and its tension may be adjusted by adjustment of the ratchet wheel H¹ which is
fixed to a shaft h¹ encircled by said spiral spring and mounted in suitable bearings.

page_text: on the chair bracket. The ratchet wheel is so combined with a loose hook-pawl H
and a surface on the chair bracket that the torsion of the spring will draw and
hold the hook-pawl between the surface c² and ratchet wheel H¹, engaging the
teeth of the latter. In adjusting the tension of the spring a suitable spanner is
applied to the ratchet wheel to turn it back so as to release the hook-pawl, which
may then be shifted to engage a different tooth of the ratchet-wheel.
The back D is pivoted at about its mid-height to the chair bracket, and provided
at its lower end with bars D¹ D' which project downwardly sufficiently to strike
the horizontal bar of the chair-bracket in front and thus check the motion of the
back. These bars D₁ also serve as weights for insuring the proper hang of the
pivoted back.
The stand is provided near its head with a rearwardly projecting ring-like
bracket I which serves for various purposes. It forms a holder for umbrellas &c.;
in connection with the drip basin K at the base of the stud. It also forms a guard
against turning the seat down when the chair is swung back. It also prevents the
chair from swinging when it has been turned to proper position for occupancy and
the seat is down; a socket i being to this end, formed in said bracket on each side
and adjacent to the stand which socket is entered by an anti-friction roller b² on
the bar b¹ of the seat when the seat is turned down. In order to stop the rearward
swing of the chairs at the proper point, so that they may form barriers between
the aisles opened thereby and prevent the people from crowding one another,
I apply a stop I' to the ring-like bracket I, I also provide for the adjustment of
the stop on the bracket, in order that the chairs may be stopped at any angle ;
so that in an auditorium supplied with these chairs, aisles may be formed, when
the chairs are swung back running in various directions, guiding and directing the
audience in proper divisions to the respective exits.
The chair bracket is provided with a foot-rest L. As shown, it is an angle iron
the upright bar of which is pivoted at its upper end to the chair bracket, while
the end of the horizontal bar or foot-rest proper, is pivoted to the stand A. It
also serves as a brace to the chair bracket, and its upright bar may be fixed thereto, *
instead of pivoted.
The back is pivoted to the chair-bracket in the manner shown and described in
order that it may readily accommodate itself to the occupant whatever position he
may assume.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. A swinging chair embodying the following devices, namely; first, a columnar
stand; second, a chair bracket hinged vertically to said stand; third, a back
attached to the chair bracket; fourth, a folding seat hinged to the front of said
chair bracket; fifth, a folding leg pivoted to said seat.
2. A duplex swinging chair embodying the combination of the following devices,
namely; first, a single columnar stand; second two chair brackets hinged vertically
to said stand; third, two backs attached one to each chair-bracket; fourth, two
folding seats hinged one to the front of each chair-bracket; fifth, two folding legs
pivoted one to each seat.
3. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the columnar stand, the
swinging chair-bracket hinged vertically to said stand, the folding seat hinged to
the front of said chair-bracket, the pivoted leg, and the back pivoted to said chair-
bracket and independent of the seat as described so that such back inay turn freely
to accommodate itself to the position of the occupant.
4. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the columnar stand, the
swinging chair-bracket hinged vertically to said stand, the folding seat hinged to
the front of said chair-bracket, the pivoted leg, the back pivoted to said chair-
bracket as described so that being independent of the seat it may turn freely to
accommodate itself to the position of the occupant, and the folding arms.

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5. The combination substantially as before set forth, of the columnar stand, the
swinging chair-bracket hinged vertically to said stand, the seat hinged to the front
of said chair-bracket, the leg pivoted to said seat, and the link connecting the leg
with the chair-bracket.
6. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the columnar stand, the
swinging chair-bracket hinged vertically to said stand, the seat hinged to the front
of said chair-bracket, the frame like leg pivoted to the seat and formed as described
so that it may fold close against the bottom of the seat between the side bars of the
seat-frame, and the link connecting the leg with the chair-bracket.
7. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the columnar stand, the
swinging chair-bracket hinged vertically to said stand, the seat and back attached
to said chair bracket substantially as described, and the rearwardly projecting ring-
like bracket on the said stand.
8. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the columnar stand, the
swinging chair-bracket hinged vertically to said stand, the seat hinged to the front
of said chair-bracket and provided on its underside with an anti-friction roller, and
the rearward projecting ring-like bracket provided with a socket adjacent to the
stand for receiving the anti-friction roller when the seat is turned down so that
the chair is then prevented from swinging.
9. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the columnar stand, the
swinging chair-bracket hinged vertically. to said stand, the seat and back attached
to said chair-bracket substantially as described, and the ring-like bracket provided
with incans substantially as set forth for checking the rearward swing of the chair
at any desired point.
'
Dated this 17th day of June 1884