Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – With stadium or auditorium feature – Seating arrangement
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-03
2003-09-30
Friedman, Carl D. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
With stadium or auditorium feature
Seating arrangement
C052S007000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06625932
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to spectator seating systems and in particular to those systems that can be reconfigured for viewing events in multi-purpose facilities. More particularly, the present invention relates to a portable arena system with a variable rise vertically retractable platform assembly.
2. Background Art
Most leisure facilities today such as arenas and auditoriums are designed to accommodate multiple tenants to maximize revenue potential. It is not unusual for a facility to have a sporting event in the evening, a trade show the next morning and a concert later that same night.
The requirement to accommodate multiple tenants creates numerous problems for the movable seating assemblies located in the exhibition areas between the fixed seating and the event floor. Different events require different focal points and varying seating requirements. Riser heights on seating platforms must be able to change to provide optimum sight lines. The size of event floors, like basketball and hockey, are subject to change at each individual event. The first row of the seating assemblies sometimes might have to be elevated above the dasher to allow additional seating assemblies to be placed in front to make the seating continuous to the smaller event floor.
With two events scheduled in the same day, conversion time becomes critical. The seating equipment must be designed to minimize set-up time and labor costs. Also, the seating in the front area of the facility is closest to the event and demands the highest ticket price. The seating systems must be designed with integral chairs that are equal to or better than the chair used in the fixed seating to justify the higher seating price.
Attempts have been made to solve these problems with telescopic seating. One such method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,789 ('789). According to this patent, a plurality of telescopic movable rows supported by a wheeled wagon on each end are expanded outwardly one after another from their stored position. A number of side-by-side seats stored horizontal on the rows are raised up creating a spectator-seating system. To assure that each spectator sitting on his seat has optimum sight lines for viewing an event, each column supported by a wheeled wagon is provided a floor height adjusting mechanism.
The mechanism of the '789 patent is constructed of threaded shafts, pulleys, belts, sprockets, chains and a motor. However, this design has several problems. The floor height adjusting mechanism, coupled with the wheeled wagon, has many moving parts and makes this system expensive. It is also difficult to maintain alignment both vertically and horizontally with adjacent platforms. And, because the system is telescopic, the rows of seats must fold down for storage, requiring a chair with a very narrow profile. Thus, the higher priced front seats are typically not as comfortable as the wider fixed seats.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,001 uses two sets of telescopic platforms with each set having a different pitch to change the angle of view. The platforms are oppositely faced and attached to a central support structure. To change the angle of view, the attached chairs are folded down and the seating tiers are retracted inwardly, where upon they are placed on a dolly and rotated 180 degrees and then re-opened exposing the seating tiers with a new pitch. This design is very limited in providing solutions to previously stated problems. The system is expensive, and twice as many chairs and platforms are required. Conversion time to change from one event to the other is very labor intensive and time consuming, and the chairs must fold down for storage again resulting in a very narrow profile.
What is needed is a simple and easy-to-operate portable arena seating system. The device should allow variable rise in order to accommodate the arena and event requirements. The system must be deployable in a short time period with minimal labor. The seating on the portable system must allow for high quality comfortable seating. The system should have a low profile in the retracted state for storage and transport.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in consideration of the aforementioned background. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a variable rise vertically retractable arena seating assembly that is entirely free from the problems inherent in the conventional prior art seating systems.
An object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of parallel stepped seating platforms attached to a vertically retractable support. Due to the low profile of the assembly when it is in its fully retracted state, it can be easily stored, The assembly can employ wheels and be wheeled from the storage cavities of the facility to the desired location.
In one embodiment, chairs of any design are rigidly attached to the platform and ready for use as soon as the assembly is positioned.
And a further object is to provide a vertically adjustable arena seating assembly wherein the plurality of parallel platforms are programmed, having at least four stepped risers of varying heights to reconfigure the facility for viewing multiple events. A non-elevated high rise profile for viewing events such as hockey. An elevated low rise profile for viewing events such as basketball. And, a non-elevated low rise profile to allow the assembly to be moved into storage cavities of the facility and a zero rise for concert events where some of the assemblies are converted to a stage
Another object of the invention is to minimize conversion time and labor. Using the present invention eliminates the time required to fold the chairs down. It also eliminates the folding of platforms retracted horizontally to change from one event to the other.
An additional object of the invention is to provide an elevating means for the vertically adjustable arena seating assembly such that the lower support structure is inter-connected to the upper support structure by a scissors mechanism. There is an outer scissors lever of the scissors mechanism, which is rotatably connected to the lower support structure on a first end and slidably connected to the upper support structure on the second end. There is also an inner scissors lever of the scissors mechanism, which is rotatably connected to the upper support structure on a first end and slidably connected to the lower support structure on a second end. An upper support adjusting means for vertically adjusting the upper support structure is provided, wherein the upper support adjusting means engages the second end of the inner scissors to adjust the upper support structure.
Yet an additional object of the inventions is a vertically adjustable arena seating assembly further comprising an automatic lock to hold the upper support structure at a desired height wherein the automatic lock is positioned by hydraulic means.
Yet another object of the invention is to allow a single motor drive system to control the operation of the elevating means, where the means of operating is a motor connected to a hydraulic pump that engages a hydraulic ram assembly.
And, an object is an elevating means that not only provides the potential energy used to drive the floor height adjusting mechanism, but it also allows the first row of the assembly to be elevated above the floor to allow the placement of additional seating assemblies in front of the elevated unit to make the seating continuous to a smaller event floor. Yet another object is a vertically adjustable arena seating assembly further comprising a means of simultaneously unlocking the plurality of platforms to change the riser heights of the assembly.
Another object of the invention is to provide a floor height adjusting mechanism that does not require a powered mechanical device on every platform to change the riser heights. The present invention provides for a floor height adjusting mechanism that uses a combination of the force of gravity and the elevating means of the upper su
Friedman Carl D.
Horton Yvonne M.
Maine & Asmus
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