Abstract: A van having a belt rail attached to the interior of its side walls for the securement of the rear seat supports thereto. The rear seat of the van is removable along with the floor covering to allow usage of the van for cargo-carrying purposes.

Abstract: Support structure for a multi-passenger seating unit, especially in aircraft, which is mounted to a seat track in the vehicle floor, includes a transverse floor stretcher tube of less length than the seating unit which is adapted to lie on the floor at the rear of the seating unit and be attached to at least a pair of seat tracks by a track fitting. The rear seat legs extend downwardly from an upper seat frame portion and are mounted to the floor stretcher tube at selected locations which are spaced from the track fittings so as to generally equalize the luggage storage space under each seat. In a preferred embodiment, a tension bracing member is also attached to the lower ends of each of the rear legs and to the floor stretcher tube and extends forwardly and upwardly to a point where it is attached to portions of the upper seat frame at locations which are spaced transversely from the front legs of the seat.

Abstract: An energy attenuating seat and a leg therefor for use in a vehicle. The leg for the seat is configured to allow it to be initially elastically deformed when subjected to a predetermined load. This elastic deformation is achieved by constructing the leg with two spaced apart flange portions. Spacers are located on one of the flange portions which are adapted to contact the other flange portion after a certain amount of elastic deformation has taken place. When the spacers are in contact the leg is capable of withstanding an increased load. However, further loading eventually results in the plastic deformation of the leg. Since the deformable legs are located on the forward portion of the seat, the seat pivots forwardly and downwardly when subjected to excessive loads which lowers the center of gravity of the seat.

Abstract: Modular seating units (100) made from rotationally molded plastic which mount to a gradine (G) and join laterally, forming bench seating. Each seating unit (100) comprises two plastic pedestals, either of end configuration (12) or intermediate configuration (14), or a combination thereof, mounted by bracket means (24, 34) to a gradine (G) such as may be found in a stadium, and a plastic bench section (10), supported in a generally horizontal orientation between each pair of pedestals. The seat sections are spanned by reinforcing bars (32) which mount into channels (30) on the underside of the seat sections (10). Each seating unit (100) may include an independently mounted backrest unit (200), which comprises two mounting brackets (44) affixed to a gradine (G), or to reinforcing bars (32), supporting a rotationally molded plastic backrest section (38), by being affixed to a reinforcing bar (52) which mounts into a channel (50) in the back side of the backrest section (38).

Abstract: A longitudinal seat assembly for three or more occupants and comprising a plurality of seats mounted on a unitary supporting and seat frame. The unitary frame has horizontally and vertically disposed portions, and the vertically disposed portion terminates substantially below the seat tops.

Abstract: A passenger seat structure for installation in vehicles such as buses, railroad cars, boats and airplanes consists of a support frame provided with support legs. The frame includes two beams having top and bottom channels with seat and leg mounting means slidably disposed therein. The seat includes seating and backrest support plates mounted at their edges to support tubes and carrying upholstery members.With this arrangement the legs and the seats, which are light in weight, can be positioned at any point along the support beams.

Abstract: A seating unit for a passenger system utilizing rows of seating units applicable to compartments in aircraft, buses or the like. The seating unit has two or more seats wherein each seat is provided with a backrest and an armrest at each seat side so that an armrest between two seats may be shared by adjacent occupants. The seats in a row are mounted next to one another, but are offset or staggered alternately several centimeters with respect to each other, by individual, horizontally spaced pivot assemblies and base frame members for each seat in the unit. The staggered seats and backrests in a multiple unit arrangement provide the occupants with increased shoulder, elbow, and leg space and significantly improve the occupants' comfort and sense of well-being.

Abstract: Improved framing system for a multi-passenger seat incorporates a generally inverted L-shaped rear leg whose shorter leg portion is joined to the rear stretcher tube at its free end and to a compression member at its point of intersection with its longer leg portion. The compression member and short leg portion form one side of a triangle which includes the front leg and a support member connecting the front and rear stretcher tubes. The longer leg portion forms one leg of a triangle which includes the compression member and a seat track covering member. The design provides greatly improved passenger leg room for close pitch seating arrangements.

Abstract: A seat has a frame including a back portion. A seat cushion, a back cushion and a back shroud are all mounted on the frame. Attached to the rear of the back cushion, near the bottom thereof, are a pair of clips which hookingly engage a pair of tabs on the frame and mount the back cushion for vertical sliding movement on the tabs. Attached to the rear of the back cushion, near the top thereof, is a bracket which is attached by a fastener to a cross member at the top of the frame's back portion. The operation of fastening the bracket to the cross member raises the back cushion in vertical sliding movement on the tabs.

Abstract: A piece of seating furniture, preferably a sofa, comprising a possibly upholstered frame (11) of tubes, some of the tubes (11e, 11f) curving slightly downwards and functioning as a support for loosely placed, coherent seats and backs (2a, 2b) freely pivotal about their connecting line.The piece of seating furniture permits an easy angle adjustment between seat and back and is easy to disassemble and assemble.

Abstract: The seat and back of a seating unit are each formed of a plurality of cushioned upholstered elements which extend between a pair of L-shaped support members to provide continuous back and seat surfaces. The L-shaped members have an elliptical cross section which includes two hollow semielliptical portions, a central wall connecting these portions, and two longitudinal channels on opposite sides of the central wall. The upholstered elements are attached to the L-shaped members by plastic guiding strips which ride in the channels.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a seat for terraces in a stadium or the like, comprising, in its front part, a downwardly directed front edge, of which the rear face is perpendicular to the lower face of the seat to strictly follow the shape of the corresponding surfaces of the terrace, while, substantially at the center of the horizontal part of the seat, there is provided at least one reinforced orifice adapted to receive a screw for fixing the seat to the terrace, the screw being rendered inviolable by a cover. This seat may be used for equipping stonework terraces for stadiums, open-air theaters, various auditoriums.

Abstract: A knockdown settee comprising a pair of double leg members each including two legs, two seat assembly supports and connecting spacers all disposed in a generally common plane; the pair of leg members are rigidly connected by means of a U-shaped cross bar having two legs connected by a bight to create a wedging action, to provide a rigid construction for a seat assembly including a seat, a back and a pair of arms pivoted at the free ends respectively to the sides of the seat and the back. Pins rigidly connect the rear of the seat to the back when the back is pivoted by the arms to the operative position and spaced friction clips are provided at the bottom of the seat for engagement of adjacent seat assembly supports. The seat and the back are moveable into substantial alignment and the double leg members and cross bar when separated may lie on the seat and back below the level of the arms, thereby minimizing space required for packaging and storage.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for setting up and collapsing long rows of seats for stadiums or auditoriums, wherein each seat is provided with gravity counter-balancing spring means such that setting up or collapsing an extended row of seats may be done from one end of the row with a minimum of distortion along the row or force required. Provision is made for automatic operation by means of a small electric motor which may be remotely controlled. Additional provision is made for locking each set of an extended row of seats in either the set up or collapsed positions and for unlocking them in response to the initial action of means for changing the seats from one position to the other.

Abstract: A bracket is connected to a base such as a deck and supports a seat and back joist of a bench-type seat. The bracket includes a quadrangular portion having a top, a bottom, and first and second sides. The bottom is connected to the top surface of the deck, and the top supports a plank which forms the seat of the deck seat. An L-shaped portion extends below the quadrangular portion for supporting the bottom end of a generally upstanding back joist. A loop is attached to the first side and receives and holds the upstanding back joist at a position above its bottom end. Back rest boards are connected between the upstanding back joists to provide the back of the bench-type seat.

Abstract: A vehicle seat support includes a support tube mounted in the vehicle body for supporting the vehicle seats. The support tube is trapezoidal in cross-section and arranged with the wider of its parallel sides on top, facing the seats. The seats are mounted on support shackles having trapezoidal cut-outs corresponding to, and receiving, the tubular support member but being of somewhat greater height to provide some clearance. A thumbscrew is mounted in the seat structure above, and directed toward, the support tube for forcing the seat support shackle into firm engagement with the support tube.

Abstract: The specification discloses modular seating in which interchangeable arm and armless end frames include a common rear frame portion joined to each respective front frame portion in butt wise fashion to give an integrated rather than tacked on appearance. The arm and armless end frames both have arcuately inturned rear portions and the armless has a similar arcuately inturned front portion for joining to front and rear cross supports. In contrast, the upwardly extending front leg of the arm frame includes an inwardly projecting bracket for joining to the front cross support and a sleeve on the bracket compensates for the length of the inturned front portion of the armless frame. Since the front and rear cross supports are at different levels, a leveling bracket or apron having triangular shaped sides is mounted between the front and rear cross supports to levelly support a table top thereon.

Abstract: A travel chair includes a back pivotable both forwardly and rearwardly and pivotable underneath the chair to form a generally triangular arrangement for ease in carrying and further includes detachable wheels for use of the chair in automobiles and the like. The chair further includes a pair of spring means for biasing the rear legs in a rearward direction and means for removably securing and adjusting the footrests, as well as spring-biasing means for urging the rear handles in a locked position. Finally, front handles are pivotable in vertical and horizontal directions, and a head restraint is provided.

Abstract: A lightweight, economically constructed support structure for vehicle seats having a minimum number of components having a substantial commonality and a number of interchangeable components. The seat support structure includes a pair of spaced horizontal tubular members which extend beneath individual seating stations. These tubular members are maintained in a predetermined spaced relationship by a multiplicity of spacing members each located adjacent to the individual seating stations and adapted to support the pivotable armrest situated between each seating station. The horizontal tubular members and associated structure support a diaphragm of fabric or the like at each seat location which is stretched between and fastened to the forward tubular member and a plate member supported and located in proximity to the rear tubular member. These diaphragms are adapted to support the individual seat cushions at each seat location.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for setting up and collapsing long rows of seats for stadiums or auditoriums, wherein a simple camoperated release mechanism is operated from the end of each row permitting simple, convenient and rapid collapsing of rows with a minimum of personnel.

Abstract: Disclosed is an automobile having front and rear seat structures, the rear seat structure comprising forward and rearward rows of folding seats. The forward and rearward rows of seats of the rear seat structure are interconnected in such a manner that the rearward row can be moved towards the forward row, and then both the forward and rearward rows can be moved towards the front seat structure to provide a substantially unobstructed space behind the folded rows of seats.

Abstract: A sidewall construction for a bus having several fitted sections and seats mounted on the wall. A seat fastening strap is attached to a support tube of the seats and extends downward. One of the sections of the sidewall structure, particularly the bottom arch section at the level of the lower end region of the seat fastening strap, has an angle-shaped recess open at the rim and facing the seat fastening strap. The recess has a hanger bar for hanging the seat fastening strap, and a screw lock for disconnectably fixing the seats in place. The recess has an L-shaped cross-section at the open rim, and two arms connect at right angles to this cross-section. The arms correspond, on one hand, with the seat fastening strap, and, on the other hand, they correspond to a screw bolt passing at right angles through the seat fastening strap.

Abstract: A seat in a mass transit vehicle, such as a bus or subway car, extends lengthwise from the vehicle wall toward the aisle. The seat is supported from below by a cantilevered supporting shell comprising a trough-shaped structural skin and a tubular frame without diagonal bracing. The trough-shaped skin has an open top and an open end at the vehicle wall.

Abstract: A seating arrangement comprising a pair of parallel laterally spaced solid block support members interconnected by two suspension rods, one extending between the front central portions of the support members and the other between the top rearward portions of the support members, a composite seat portion and backrest portion extending at an angle to each other, the seat portion being secured to the suspension rod extending between the front central portions of the support members and the backrest portion being secured to the suspension rod extending between the top rearward portions of the support members to provide a free floating chair with distributed balance.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for transporting the physically handicapped in the form of an insert travel chair, including a pair of pivoting wheels at the front thereof and the rear portion under the seat being unobstructed whereby the chair may be nested onto the seat of a conventional chair. The chair includes roller means attached to the rear of the seat portion and a pair of handles which can be adjustably pivoted upwardly whereby the chair can be easily manipulated and slid down an emergency evacuation chute or other incline on the front wheels, the roller means attached to the rear of the seat and the handles extending rearwardly and outwardly to provide multiple points of contact with the chute or incline.

Abstract: An airline passenger seat is disclosed wherein a seat divider is provided with a lightweight, high strength filler which may be formed of hard foam plastic. The filler is secured to the seat divider on the free end of a row of airline passenger seats for providing a treadboard support and is capable of absorbing high stresses and transmitting them to the seat divider.

Abstract: A cantilevered seat for a transit vehicle having a seat shell and a back pan molded from polycarbonate structural foam plastic. The seat shell has contoured into its front surface two seat recess areas and two back recess areas. The seat shell is an integral member having a front panel with a laterally extending flange formed around its periphery. The rear surface of the seat shell has plurality of integrally molded horizontal, diagonal, and vertical structural rib members. Substantially in the center of the seat shell is a major vertical structural rib member and the matrix formed by said vertical, diagonal, and horizontal rib members is symmetrical about said major vertical rib member whereby the seat shell can be used either as a right hand mounted or a left hand mounted cantilevered seat. The back pan has integrally molded channels on its inwardly facing surface for receiving the vertical and horizontal rib members extending outwardly from the rear surface of the seat shell.

Abstract: Seating structure for a chair grouping includes a frame having a lower U-shaped front runner for each chair and a separate side frame member extending upwardly from the top of the runner at each side and rearwardly about the back cushion. For in-line chair arrangements, the side frame members extend downwardly at the center of the chair back and are connected to U-shaped rear runners of adjacent chairs. For zig-zag chair arrangements, the side frame members extend rearward of the chair back to provide for a row of oppositely facing chairs and thence downwardly where they are connected to U-shaped front runners of the opposed chairs which are staggered relative to the first chairs. The side frame members are interchangeable, as are the runners; and they are connected together by means of an H-shaped connector which also serves to connect the seat of the chairs to the frame.

Abstract: The present seating furniture comprises chairs, especially constructed for multi-purpose group seating arrangements for example, in auditoriums, assembly halls, convention halls, lecture rooms and the like. The foldable seat proper is secured to the side walls of a shell shaped center part which in turn is supported by a base to which the shell shaped center part is removably connected. The shell shaped center part has a rear wall, the upper end of which is permanently connected to head rest means, if such head rest means are employed. Further, the side walls may be provided with telescoping means so that the side walls and the seat along with the corresponding portion of the back rest may be extended or retracted. In a modification one chair may be converted into a desk for the chair behind the converted chair.

Abstract: A hanging chair for use in conjunction with an overhead support wherein the chair includes at least one flexible seat having a substantially trapezoidal configuration with the shorter parallel side forming the back portion of the chair, the longer parallel side forming the front portion of the chair and the two non-parallel sides forming the side portions of the chair. Frame members maintain the side portions of the chair in a stretched condition so that an occupant may easily enter and leave the chair from the front portion thereof.

Abstract: A passenger seat structure for vehicles which comprises an underframe having at least one seat with a back fastened thereto. The underframe includes a substantially horizontal supporting member which has only that end thereof which is adjacent one side wall of the vehicle by a support connected to the floor of the vehicle. The horizontal supporting member which may be hairpin-shaped has its individual legs interconnected and has one end of a reinforcement connected to the bottom side of the supporting member while the other end of the reinforcement member is connected to the support which latter is connected to the vehicle floor.

Abstract: A modular article of furniture capable of assuming a variety of shapes and configurations and having at least one body support structure having at least one seatrest unit and at least one releasably associated upper body support. The seatrest unit is formed in the geometric shape of either a square, triangle or rhombus, the sides of each individual unit being equal to one another and also equal to the sides of each other individual unit. The seatrest units may be combined and associated with each other and/or with one or more upper body supports to provide variable furniture configurations. The resulting modular article of furniture offers a variable and interchangeable body support structure having a floating appearance and wherein the seat support may comprise a soft-sided cushion arrangement.

Abstract: This invention provides a frameless, stress skin seat construction which can be attached without frame members either to others of its kind or to a supporting surface. The seat construction includes a seat pan of sheet metal formed to define beam-portions at opposite sides, a cylindrical portion at the front for load supporting capacity, and a concave upward dished portion in the rear to add torsion resistance. The construction also includes a back pan of sheet metal which is shaped to define rearwardly opening beam portions at opposite sides, a concave forward dished portion in the lower half to add torsion resistance, and a rearwardly opening U-shaped channel at the top for providing beam strength. The two pans are secured together in such a way that a force sufficient to fold the pans together will cause buckling primarily at the joint between them, rather than any buckling in the pans themselves.

Abstract: A modular bench seat construction composed of separate base, seat and backrest parts which may be easily assembled to form a bench seat for a dining nook or the like. These parts may be assembled in various arrangements to form differing bench seat configurations.

Abstract: A combination seat mounting support and armrest for concrete stadium riser installation where backrests cannot be used or are not desired.

Abstract: A vehicle seat in which a support frame is provided beneath the seat with the support frame including a laterally extending torsion member which is preferably in the form of a noncircular tube, such as a rectangular tube. A seat is disposed with the center of gravity above the torsion member and is connected to the torsion member, preferably, at points spaced therealong from the points of connection of the torsion member to the support frame.

Abstract: Modular furniture elements concave can be assembled to form an article of furniture, such as, armchairs, divans, and beds, consist of elements which, in plan, have two or three different but interrelated shapes. In plan, the different shapes are all based on a circle having a radius R. Each element of a first set of elements has a shape, in plan, defined by a convex semi-circular side of radius R and two converging cooncave sides extending from opposite ends of the convex side and merging together at a blunt edge. Each concave side is equal to one quarter of the circumference of a circle of radius R. Each element of a second set has a shape in plan which is defined by two interconnecting convex sides, each being equal to one quarter of the circumference of a circle of radius R. Each element of a third set has a shape in plan which is defined by a convex side equal to three-quarters the circumference of a circle of radius R and a concave side of one quarter the circumference of such a circle.

Abstract: A unitary sandwich panel having a polyurethane core and aluminum facing sheets, forms bottom and back support portions of a seat cantilevered at one end thereof from a transit vehicle wall or other vertical support. Cushions, arm rests, and a molded back cover are attached to the panel.

Abstract: A multi-passenger seat is supported by a lower cantilever frame which comprises a horizontal seat frame and an inclined arcuate truss support frame. The horizontal seat frame includes two elongated horizontal stretcher members attached at one end to the wall of a vehicle and at least two cross frame members interconnecting the stretcher members at laterally spaced locations. The inclined arcuate truss support frame is located beneath the horizontal seat frame; and it includes fore and aft inclined arcuate frame members rigidly attached at their upper ends to the stretcher tubes respectively at locations preferably on the aisle side of the transverse center of the horizontal seat frame. The inclined arcuate support frame members extend downwardly from the seat frame and preferably they converge toward each other. They are connected to the wall at locations above the floor of the vehicle.

Abstract: A two-passenger seat for public transportation vehicle includes a frame of rectangular tubing with a recessed seat area for receiving a one-piece molded plastic shell which is provided with contoured seat and back areas for each of two side-by-side passengers. A single pedestal having a rectangular cross section elongated in the fore-and-aft direction is located beneath the seat spaced inwardly of the aisle end. Separate replaceable cover inserts are received in the seat and back contoured portions which act to retain passengers in place during turns while providing versatility and modification possibilities in seat and back covers.

Abstract: A seat in a mass transit vehicle, such as a bus or subway car, extends lengthwise from the vehicle wall toward the aisle. The seat is supported from below by a cantilevered supporting shell comprising a trough-shaped structural skin and a tubular frame without diagonal bracing. The trough-shaped skin has an open top and an open end at the vehicle wall.